Karpathos is located between Rhodes and Crete. It is a picturesque, tranquil island with vegetated slopes, a beautiful fishing port and lonely beaches. The island is renowned for its traditional architecture, interior decoration of the houses and traditions unchanged for centuries. Folk dancing and singing, and musical instruments will enchant you. Karpathos is harmoniously balanced on modern amenities, love for natural beauty and tradition. History The first inhabitants were the Cretans and later on, the Dorians. Karpathos enjoyed a period of prosperity in the 5th century BC when it was member of the Athenian Alliance. In the period to follow the island suffered a great number of raids by various peoples and the pirates. Leon Gavalas seized the island in 1206 and then it was successively dominated by the Genovese, the Knights of St. John and the Venetians. In 1538 the Turks conquered the island until 1912 when it fell to the hands of the Italians. It was unified with Greece in 1948.